Probably the oldest question on these forums. And it will forever be debated. It really all depends on how you define "power," as well as what criteria you use. And, for the law enforcement agencies themselves, it often comes down to their investigation jurisdiction. And they tend to measure it in terms of who presents the most significant "organized crime threat." The FBI would say the LCN, and increasingly, transnational organized crime. The DEA would say the Mexican drug cartels.

In my opinion, a very strong argument can be made that the LCN is still the strongest organized crime group in the Tri-State area. And, to a lesser extent, the rest of the Northeast if you expand up to New England and down to Philadelphia.

But it would be hard to make a case for anywhere else. Outside the Northeast, the Chicago family is really the only one that is viable, unless you want to count Detroit too. But comparing the Outfit to the local street gangs in Chicago is very much like apples and oranges. It's like asking who's better between the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Blackhawks. Completely different worlds.

The only other place in the country where there's still significant LCN activity is in South Florida, where the NY families have operations. But just last year, the FBI said Eurasian OC became their new #1 priority there.